Method and apparatus for identifying a rate center using a location routing number

1. In a telephone network supporting local number portability, a method for assigning a location routing number, comprising: providing a telephone number to a customer; determining whether the customer is located in a rate center associated with the telephone number; and assigning a location routing number to the telephone number based on whether the customer is located in a rate center that is associated with the telephone number, a first portion of the location routing number comprising an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number comprising a second central office code.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the telephone number and the location routing number in a memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the storing includes: permitting shared access to the memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second central office code relates to a location of the customer for billing purposes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion comprises four digits, three of the four digits comprising the second central office code, the second central office code relating to an area in which the customer resides and one of the four digits representing a subdivision of the area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion comprises four digits, three of the four digits comprising the second central office code and one of the four digits identifying a dialing plan.

7. A system for determining location information for billing a telephone call to a customer, comprising: a memory configured to store data representing telephone numbers and data representing location routing numbers corresponding to each respective telephone number, a first portion of the location routing number comprising an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number comprising a second central office code; and a processor configured to: receive an input representing a call, search the memory for the location routing number associated with the call, identify location information associated with the call based on the second central office code, and determine a rate center associated with the call based on at least the second central office code.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to generate billing information based on the determined rate center.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine whether the call represents a toll call based on the determined rate center, and generate an indication to a calling party when the call represents a toll call.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the rate center associated with a called party based on at least the second central office code.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the second portion of the location routing number comprises four digits, three of the four digits comprising the second central office code, the second central office code relating to an area in which the called party resides and at least one digit relating to a dialing plan or a subdivision of the area.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a switching device configured to route the call based on the location routing number.

13. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, said instructions including sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform the steps of: searching a memory, in response to receipt of a call for a called party, for a location routing number associated with the called party, a first portion of the location routing number comprising an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number comprising a second central office code; identifying location information associated with the call from the second central office code; and determining a rate center associated with the call based on at least the second central office code.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further including instructions for causing said processor to perform the further step of: generating billing information based on the determined rate center.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further including instructions for causing said processor to perform the further steps of: determining whether the call represents a toll call based on the determined rate center; and generating an indication to a calling party prior to completing the call when the call represents a toll call.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further including instructions for causing said processor to perform the further step of: determining a rate center associated with the called party based on at least the second central office code.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the location routing number comprises four digits, three of the four digits comprising the second central office code, the second central office code relating to an area associated with the called party and at least one digit relating to a dialing plan or a subdivision of the area.

18. A system for determining location information for billing a telephone call, comprising: means for storing data representing telephone numbers and corresponding location routing numbers, a first portion of the location routing number comprising an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number comprising a second central office code; means for receiving an input representing a call; and means for identifying a rate center associated with the call based on the location routing number.

19. A computer-readable memory device containing a data structure relating to a telephone network, comprising: a first area that stores data representing telephone numbers; and a second area that stores data representing location routing numbers, a first portion of the location routing number representing an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number representing a second central office code.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the second central office code relates to a rate center associated with a telephone number stored in the first area, the location routing number including a third portion relating to at least one of a dialing plan and a subdivision of the rate center.

21. In a telephone network supporting local number portability, a method for assigning a location routing number, comprising: providing a telephone number to a customer; and assigning a location routing number to the telephone number, when the customer moves to location outside a rate area associated with the telephone number, a first portion of the location routing number comprising an area code and a first central office code and a second portion of the location routing number comprising a second central office code.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: storing the telephone number and the location routing number in a memory.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the assigning includes assigning the location routing number when the telephone number is ported to a location in a different rate center.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the second portion of the location routing number comprises four digits, three of the four digits comprising the second central office code, the second central office code relating to an area associated with the location of the customer and at least one digit relating to a dialing plan or a subdivision of the area.